Putting Lua through its paces. Here's Advent of Code 2024, Day 13, running on all my favorite hardware that I had on hand, through the power of Lua.

Ryzen 5 9600X modern desktop - 1 ms.

HP 200LX, 8 MHz 186, 640 KB RAM available to Lua: 62 seconds.

TI-92+, 12 MHz 68000, 64 KB RAM available to Lua: 65 seconds.

"Write once, run anywhere".

#retrocomputing #lualang #ticalc #ti92 #hp200lx

Here are the three #BarrenPlanet campaigns running on a Hewlett Packard #hp100lx. You can download the game from https://cyningstan.itch.io/barren-planet, where you will find links to the two DLC campaigns. #hp200lx #msdos #cga

Of course, right after posting this it came time to change my #HP200LX's AA's and the coincell was flat, so I lost all the files that weren't on the flash card.

So.... Flash does have its uses.

This #TinyBasic port also runs successfully on the #HP200LX palmtop. It wound up as a 2,799 byte .COM file. Added the ability to LOAD and SAVE the program source, and BYE to quit the interpreter.

Source and a prebuilt COM file here, if you would like to try on your own hardware.
https://gitlab.cs.washington.edu/fidelp/tinybasic
Careful, it may still have bugs!

More portable #retrocomputing philosophizing: Whether a machine has "Instant-On" makes a huge difference in the tasks it's useful for. By this, I mean whether the machine returns to the same program and screen where you left it, when powered back on from inactivity.

Without "Instant-On", the machine demands to be used for long sessions, (else the boot time is too inconvenient) and demands your constant attention (else the power draw of leaving it sitting around powered on is wasted). Using the machine involves clearing your schedule and devoting yourself to it, like reading a book.

Examples of machines without "Instant-On": DOS-era laptops, #Book8088, #GameBoy, #MailStation.

With "Instant-On", the machine is useful for PDA-style quick jottings, grocery lists, etc. It is also useful for fun activities even in circumstances where you are likely to be interrupted.

Examples of machines with "Instant-On": #HP200LX, #HpOmniBook, #PalmPilot, #PocketPC, #TI92 (and other TI calculators), and, of course, smartphones.

While machines in the first category may offer a more immersive experience, they are far less useful to me than machines in the second category. It's like the difference between a luggable and a true mobile computer.

Incongruously for a #z80 powered device, the #MailStation is heavily GUI based. There isn't a putc function, or even a fixed-width font, in the firmware. Instead, a windowing toolkit and a selection of widgets are provided, and loadable apps are expected to be event-driven. Each app supplies a main event handler function responding to incoming signals such as init, draw, and keydown. Apps don't take over the whole system as typical on single tasking retrocomputers. While the Mailstation doesn't do true multitasking, (or even #HP200LX-like switching between paused apps!), the event-driven software architecture is helpful for battery life, as the CPU can spend most of its time halted waiting for interrupts.

Now I'm wondering if there's some AA powered mobile device with a portrait-mode keyboard and, preferably, RS232 serial-based syncing/file transfer.

(In landscape form factor, this would, of course, be a #HP200LX.)

This little machine comes into its own during the summer months, when natural light is at its brightest. I'm using it a lot to playtest The #ChambersBeneath. #hp100lx #hp200lx #cga

I need to get better at photographing this thing, since there's a new Team Droid level pack out, and another new game on the way. #teamdroid #hp100lx #hp200lx #msdos #cga

yes please

#HP200LX #palmtop #AnnArbor #DOS #retrocomputing

Bonus shots of the phone-HP file transfer process. #hp200lx #retrocomputing #200lx

HP Connectivity Pack is now installed on my phone, allowing me to view and convert files from the #hp200lx's native PIM apps. Phone and HP #200LX are now a self-sufficient pair, with no PC required to transfer, view or edit files. (And yes, I also have Lotus 1-2-3 on my phone. Who doesn't?) No lock-in, no bullshit, just data files in well-understood formats readable anywhere. Can it still be called #retrocomputing if it's still so useful in the modern age?

My uuencode/uudecode #forth program is fully working now on #hp200lx, in both directions. I tested it the goofiest way ever:

• uu.com uu.com (produces uu.txt)
• (transfer uu.txt to another host that already has a standard uudecode installed)
• uudecode uu.txt (produces uu.com)
• uu.com uu.txt (produces another uu.com that compares identical to the first :D)

So now I don't need zmodem to get files off this thing.

One of the worst things about #handheld #retrocomputing is age-related embrittlement of plastics. Recently noticed a new hairline crack on the #HP200LX. If it grows I will superglue it, even though that scars the finish. The other superglued places have held for years so far.

It's alive! We have uuencode! Decode is next. #hp200lx #forth

The next #Forth program I write on the HP #200LX will be #uuencode / #uudecode so I can transfer binary files to/from hosts that don't support #zmodem. #HP200LX

It's still warm enough here for some outdoor gaming. Here is Star Cadre: Combat Class running on an HP100LX. As usual with my phone photography, it looks better in real life. #starcadre #ibmpc #msdos #cga #hp100lx #hp200lx

omg I was not expecting winning #Freecell on the HP #200LX to do the bouncy cards thing
#HP200LX #retrocomputing

I bought a large storage card for the #HP200LX. Sadly, the HP itself is the only machine I have working right now with a PC card slot. The card came preloaded with neat #200LX-ready software, which I am backing up to my PC. Copying hundreds of megabytes of software over 9600 baud serial... takes... um... a while!?